Going into its first game of America East play with a four-game win streak, the Binghamton men’s soccer team was unable to extend its momentum, suffering a 2-0 loss against the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. After being outshot by the Retrievers 7-3 in the first period of play, the Bearcats went into the half tied at 0-0. Although BU opened the second half with two near-goal-scoring opportunities, UMBC was the first to find the net, and a second goal late in the match cemented the result.

“I thought we were very good in several moments of the game,” said Binghamton head coach Paul Marco. “We created a lot of scoring chances but were unlucky at times. We hit the post and had balls cleared off the line.”

UMBC (4-3-2, 1-0 AE) immediately got to work following the kick-off, pushing the ball into BU’s (6-3-1, 0-1 AE) final third. The Bearcats pushed back, quelling the run and launching a counterattack of their own that resulted in a first-minute corner kick chance. It was UMBC, however, who got the first look on goal, netting a shot on goal that was scooped up by graduate student goalkeeper Dylan McDermott.

In the 24th minute of play, the Retrievers attempted their third shot, but McDermott secured the save. Soon after, UMBC gained possession in the final third. McDermott then ran far outside the box to prevent a shot, leaving BU’s net unprotected. However, the Retrievers did not convert. The Bearcats responded with an offensive run, where sophomore forward/midfielder Marcus Nahim drove past two UMBC defenders and drilled a shot on the inside that was saved. Overall, the Bearcats were outshot 7-3 and registered five fouls to UMBC’s zero as the half ended at 0-0.

“You feel like you’re being wronged,” Marco said. “Even their coach says the same thing, ‘How did we have no fouls in the first half?’ I don’t think that I’ve ever seen that in all the years I’ve been coaching.”

BU was first to strike in the second half, as redshirt sophomore midfielder Gaven Egan attempted a shot on goal in the 47th minute of play that was saved by the Retrievers. BU continued to attack the UMBC goal, and five minutes later, BU had its strongest chance of the match when Egan, yet again, struck at the UMBC net, this time hitting the left woodwork and bouncing off the back of the UMBC keeper. The match’s pace began to slow down until, in the 62nd minute, on a second ball following a free kick, the Retrievers took a 1-0 lead.

“Then we made a couple of mistakes on those two set pieces where we cleared the [initial] ball but didn’t take care of the second ball and that led to the two goals,” Marco said. “Other than that, I thought the guys were pretty good tonight and we will be ready to go on Tuesday.”

Despite BU substituting in a more offensively geared lineup, the Retrievers rattled off two more shots in the next seven minutes. Binghamton attempted to even the match, courtesy of a second shot on goal from Nahim, but once more, the shot ended up in UMBC gloves. The Retrievers targeted the net twice more, necessitating another diving save from McDermott. In the 81st minute, a second goal from UMBC — which came from a second chance following a free kick — cemented the lead that the Retrievers would carry to the end of the game, as BU opened its AE slate with a 2-0 loss.

“We don’t ‘bounce back,’” Marco said. “We move forward.”

The Bearcats will look to get back on track as they hit the road to take on Cornell for their penultimate nonconference match on Tuesday, Oct. 1. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Charles F. Berman Field in Ithaca, New York.